PROS : New Airbus AR app takes travelers inside – and outside – the A380

Building on the popularity of its iflyA380.com website, Airbus has created an iOS app to drive loyalty for the massive double-decker plane.

The iflyA380 app uses augmented reality to create a more engaging experience than what's provided on the website, which functions primarily as a metasearch engine.

The underlying purpose is the same: to make it easy for travelers who prefer the A380 to find and book flights offered by the 13 carriers that use that aircraft.

But instead of simply searching by destination, the app adds an AR feature so users can manipulate a 3D globe that shows the routes, or they can see suggestions based on themes such as 'family-friendly' or 'romantic escape.'

Seat selection also becomes more interactive with a 3D tour of each class of the passenger cabin as well as social areas, bars and stairs.

The airline originally worked with Google's ITA Software to handle the back-end of the iflyA380 website, but has since switched to PROS-owned Vayant Travel Technologies to power the search and shopping functionality of both the website and the new app.

The switch took place before the recent decision to terminate the availability of ITA's QPX Express system for third parties.

For booking, the app redirects users to the airlines' mobile websites.

Once in-flight, the app's features become more interesting. By pointing their phones out the window, passengers can see cities, islands, monuments and other landmarks as they fly over them.

They can also virtually walk through the cabin and cockpit and access real-time information about altitude, speed, time to destination and more.

'Response to the iflyA380.com website has been fantastic,' says Marc Fontaine, Airbus digital transformation officer. 'The iflyA380app is a new step for Airbus towards developing digital services that directly benefit consumers.'

Airbus would not disclose how many times the app has been downloaded since it launched earlier this week.